Watering Houseplants While Away

[Gary Brown]

Hi,

We will be away for a while - much longer than our houseplants can go without water. Is there a watering mechanism that will work for three weeks so we needn't have anyone come in?

Thanks, Gary

[hubops]

I've heard that many homeowners insurance policies require a visit every so often, when the owners are away. If that person can't be trusted to water your plants - check www leevalley dot com Plant Nanny Plant Minder Water Bulb I can't vouch for these. Good luck. John T.

[jim evans]

This gets high ratings from Amazon customers:

[David Hare-Scott]

You could:

- put them in the bath with some water

- pierce the lid of a softdrink bottle, fill it with water and push it into the potting mix

- use water-well pots

- arrange cloth wicks from a bucket of water that is higher than the pots, one wick leads into each pot.

some combination

D

[Billy]

Gels Though not a plant watering system per se, hydrogels can become part of your container garden watering routine. These gels absorb moisture--up to 100 times their weight, notes Purdue University Extension--then slowly release it into the soil. Add hydrogels into your potting soil before planting a container garden, then use a bottle-style irrigation system to keep your plants well watered.

[Kuskokwim]

I use one of these:

put my plants in one area, put the tubes in, turn it on and leave, sometimes for more than a month.